I stared with dismay at the seething water, teased into a white-tipped frenzy by gusts of wind which tugged at my coat and threatened to send me toppling down the slippery wooden steps.

And this is a summer crossing.

It was perhaps not the best morning to test the new hovercraft service between Edinburgh and Kirkcaldy in Fife.

But then again, none of the disembarking passengers looked particularly peaky.

On board, there were plenty of window seats to choose from. The 127-capacity vessel wasn't even a third full.

It didn't take long for us to get under way, the craft skimming over the sea relatively smoothly - until we left the shelter of land.

I thought it would like a normal boat going up and down, up and down, but it's better, it goes sideways

Kieran Hayes

Smashing into 2 metre-high swells at 35 knots will not be everyone's idea of fun. For those who have never experienced it, the closest comparison I can make is with a rollercoaster. Did I mention how much I loved fairground rides?

I wasn't the only one.

"Wicked!" said 10-year old Connor Clark from Glenrothes, who was sitting behind me. "It was good and the waves are big and I've never been on one before and I didn't think it would be like this."